Opinion: Profiling Terror

Best of the Web Today columnist Jason Taranto on why liberals who say racial profiling is unscientific are wrong. Photo credit: Getty Images.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... welcome back to Opinion Journal why Mary Kissel ... recent terror attacks in Boston Tripoli in the foiled attempt in Canada yesterday are raising and old question ... should the authorities use racial profiling to prevent ... future attacks ... this is when NPR science correspondent ... Shankar of the dance and has a say on Twitter recently and I quote ... I strongly believe racial profiling in internment camps or rise for making spurious connections ... generalizations stereotypes ... when policy makers make such spurious connections without evidence ... it produces outcomes that are unjust in on the scientific and quote ... best of the web calmness chain store and so was the man ... who engage in in exchange Mr van some ... intense what's her speaks of the facts is it true that racial profiling is on scientific knowledge towns on the circumstances ... it probably doesn't make a lot of sense to use racial profiling per se in the context of terrorism ... because the profile of the terrorist is not a racial one ... I've that was on the left wing writer did a piece last week sample to Boston bomber struck out the white Americans one but they turned out to be the only way to Caucasians from the Caucasian region from Chechnya ... and five the younger one is ... an American citizen ... and that's why so this ... so in racial profiling in the weather and it is scientific or not depends on the strength of the correlation ... and they're very strong correlations for example between ... hot young black men in late May committed an extraordinarily high ... so in that sense ... there is scientific just to get the ... dividend was really was that it's categorically ... long it's an illusory correlation to every age racial profiling and that's that's just a bit that there's a separate question here is it morally or legally justified ... right and that it is a separate question ride to ... the rational basis is not the task for governmental actions that involve race discrimination Supreme Court has adopted a much stronger tax cuts ... called strict scrutiny was that mean it means that the law or policy has to meet us to serve a compelling government interest ... he has to be ... a closely related that interest ... and it has been the least restrictive means of achieving that interest ... so racial profiling may meet the upside is that I've that test in some circumstances ... for example if you have a suspect on the loose and he's been identified as a white man ... it makes sense not to ... spew no stopping questioned ... by black men are Chinese matter a fourteen year old women in the ... ride ... but it's it's a very hard standard tube to watch reach ... and so we should separate the question of whether ... it is morally justified really good Best Buy from the question of whether it scientifically justified took a look and an interesting exchange over the weekend with this in pure science correspondent on Twitter ... just put a screen shot out ... of your column ... um what prompted this exchange that you wrote about its lawful induction well he had a very eye offhand reference in an NPR interview them which I read a transcript ... I bouts of racial profiling in an internment camp site posted a tweet by making fun of him for that ... and was an odd thing to to to to put it ... but to get put up in the in the face of the bomb right but basically his point is that racial profiling is wrong ... and therefore ... I ate ... what was once lawful induction is also known as the opera or a fallacy ... it consists in denying empirical evidence ... I've that ... contradicts one spot preconceived ... conclusion to let the facts interesting right so I think what he's doing here is he saying ... by the racial profiling is wrong I strongly believe the see sentiment weaken ... the beginning of the segment ... by Ed Ed and therefore he just refuses to take him I'd I pressed him on what exactly is the Internal clan are making here ... and you would answer ... um has anybody else else commited this ... it ... soon Islam Full induction before Elise unison of the Riverton ate them ... of the essence when Hyannis is not a fan who ... believes that abortion is wrong and ... was asked a question about you know that to prove question what about cases re the failed Republican candidate from Berlin rosary for right ... now the case of rape is a very serious by questions about the abortion debate because you if you think abortion is wrong ... the idea of forcing a woman to carry her attackers child to term grown govern foresee that is a horrible outcome ... I'd ... and it's it's a difficult questions for people who believe that abortion is wrong ... so the way they can deal with the question was by making a bowl this incurable plan but the female body has some kind of biological defense against ... hide a pregnancy resulting from forcible intercourse which is just bought there's no other is no evidence for that ... but that enabled him to uphold its conclusion without facing ... the troubling consequences of it ... and insist a beast clear here ... back to the NPR science correspondent we the taxpayer ... of pay for this fellows so ... we're well into our inside his support for the nice guy government subsidy is partly by private contributions wonderful the so the Web columnist James Taranto thank you so much for being with us ...